Opinion | What an American mother’s changing fears about China say about Sino-US relations

Robert Delaney says the days of American travellers worrying about the lack of creature comforts in China are long gone. In the current political climate, between the trade war and China’s detention of Canadians, paranoia reigns

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Gigantic Chinese flags hang from the ceiling at Shenzhen International Airport. Photo: AP

Published: 3:04am, 22 Jan 2019Updated: 11:03am, 22 Jan 2019

“Did you see state dept warning about going to China? Maybe re-think plans to travel there [especially] since you are a journalist. Love, mom.”

I woke to this text a few days before my annual trip to Hong Kong, where I would be reconnecting with colleagues at the Post’s headquarters.

I told my mother there was nothing to be concerned about, but she persisted. During our back and forth I explained how (a) my upcoming trip was to Hong Kong, which has a “Level 1” State Department travel advisory, and not mainland China; (b) dozens of American journalists live in Hong Kong, and none has been hauled off by the local authorities; and (c) even if I was going to mainland China, the country has a “level 2” rating, which is the same as Britain and Italy.

Here’s where we are after Canada arrested Huawei’s Meng Wanzhou, China detained some Canadians, and the US State Department renewed its warning to Americans travelling to China. In other words, confusion and paranoia. Long gone are the days when the biggest concern Americans had about China was whether there would be any creature comforts.

Which brings me back to my mother’s understandable misperceptions.

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